Improvement in car-couplings



E. B. MIDDLETON.

CAR-COUPLING.

Patented May 15, 1877.

PATENT CFFIGEZ.

EDWARD B. MIDDLETON, 0F CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.

190,775, dated May 15, 1877; application filed March 28, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD BARNEWALL M1DDLEToN,of the city and county ofCharleston and State of South Carolina, have invented a new and ImprovedGar-Coupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same.

The invention is an improvement in automatic car-couplings, and relatesto the construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter describedand claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a vertical central section of the coupling, the hook and catchbeing shown engaged. Fig. 2 is a front-end view ofthe draw-head providedwith the hook, the latter being raised in order to show the form of theoblique shoulders or contact-surfaces. Fig. 3 is a front-end view of thedraw-head provided with the catchblocks.

The draw-heads A A have preferably a cylindrical or bell-mouthed shape,and may be attached to the bed of a car in the usual way. The draw-headA is provided with a couplinghook, B, and is designed for attachment toone end of a car, while the drawhead A has a gravitating-catch, C, andis designed for attachment to the other end of the same car. The hook isrigidly attached to a pivot-pin or rod, D, which passes verticallythrough the draw-head A, so that the hook is maintained in a horizontalposition, while free to move or swing laterally; but in order to causeit to tend to maintain a position in line with the car lengthwisei. 0.,parallel with the plane of the longer sides of the carI provide the pinor rod D with a head, a, which is inclined or cut away obliquely on theunder side, corresponding to the form of the upper side of a projection,b, on which the head rests when the hook is in the normal position.

The inclined or oblique surfaces of the parts a b being held in contactby the weight of the rod D and hook B, the latter is prevented fromswinging laterally, except either when force is intentionally appliedfor that purpose, as required when it is desired to couple two cars upona curved track, or when the d aft is applied in a direction oblique tothe axis of the draw-head, as when two coupled cars are passing around acurve.

The catch-block G has the form of a longitudinal section of a solidcylinder; but its front end is beveled on the under side at d, and arecess with a square or vertical shoulder, 0, is formed directly in therear thereof. The block 0 is rigidly attached to a rod, F, which passesvertically through the drawhead A.

When two cars provided with my improved coupling devices are broughttogether, the projecting end of the hook enters the mouth of theopposite draw-head A, strikes the beveled portion 01 of catch 0, raisesthe latter, together with its rod F, and engages with the shoulder ofrecess 0, thus completing the lock automatically. The parts are held soengaged so long as required by the gravity of block 0.

In order to uncouple, the catch 0 is raised by the rod f, which isattached to its rod F, and may be connected with and operated by a lever(not shown) pivoted to the end of the car, or by a rod extending to thetop of the car.

It will be seen, however, that the coupling devices will disengageautomatically in case one car is turned at right angles to the other,since the arm of the hook B will then be turned out of the recess in thecatch-block; hence the cars will not remain coupled in case of anaccident whereby one of them leaves the track and is overturned.

The rigidity of the hook itself, and its rigid attachment to the slidingrod D, secures the result that the shoulder of the hook remains parallelto the shoulder e of the catch while engaged therewith; whereas, in theother couplings of this class, in which the hook is jointed, it assumesan angle to the catch, and is thus liable to become disengaged wheneverthe height of the draw-head to which the hook is attached is less thanthat of the other.

What I claim is- 1. In a car-coupling, a draw-head, a hook fixed on arod adapted to slide vertically, and having an oblique shoulder or head,and a correspon lingly-shaped projectlon on the draw -head, all combinedsubstantially as shown and described, to operate as specified.

2. In a car-coupling, the rigid hook B and its vertically-sliding rod D,the two being rigidly connected, in combination with the catch havingbevel d, and recess with shoulder e, the rod F, and the draw-heads A A,all as shown and described, whereby, when the draw-head A is raisedabove the other, the said hook will maintain the same position relativeto rod D and the catch, as specifled.

EDWARD BARNEWALL MIDDLETON. Witnesses:

A. W. HUGER, BEBKLEY GRIMBALL.

